GolfBuddy BB5 Band

Ahh, the wearables revolution begins. In this case, it is GolfBuddy trotting out the GolfBuddy BB5 golf GPS band. What’s that? Well, think of that fitbit you or your buddies have, but one that shows distances to front, center and back of green on the 20×5 dot LED display and automatically advances through holes. And even though there is little “screen”, there is still the ability to measure shots. And you are probably OK ditching your other band during the round if you need other basics, the BB5 also has a pedometer and the time.

Click for images

The device, at 2.28”x 1.26”x 0.59”, weighs a mere 1.2 ounces. Would you believe that 37,000 courses are stored on it? Ok, yes, we do too. The rechargeable battery is good for 10 days in golf mode (we will assume you’ll cut it close playing 36 in one day), and the device is IP65 water resistant. You don’t know what IP65 is? C’mon…it means the BB5 is fully dust tight and “water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.” So Spray away!

We don’t have any issues with their effort, but we are concerned about the price. At $250 retail, we bet many players will start looking toward golf watches that offer target and hazard distances, and scoring functionality.

If you want to spice things up, additional bands are available in a variety of colors:teal, white, pink, orange, navy and green. Sassy!